Cleaving method for a glass film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840028-B2
Application number	US-201113195178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2011
Priority date	Aug 2, 2010
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a cleaving method for a glass film (G) including: cleaving, during conveyance of the glass film (G) in a predetermined direction, the glass film (G) continuously along a preset cleaving line ( 8 ) extending in a predetermined conveying direction (a) by a thermal stress generated through localized heating performed along the preset cleaving line ( 8 ) and through cooling of a locally heated region (H); dividing the glass film (G) in a width direction of the glass film (G); diverting, after the dividing, adjacent divided glass films ( 10 ), which are obtained by the dividing, so that the adjacent divided glass films ( 10 ) are separated in a front and rear direction of the adjacent divided glass films; and forming a predetermined widthwise clearance between the adjacent divided glass films after the dividing of the glass film (G) and before the diverting of the adjacent divided glass films ( 10 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
conveying a glass film forward in a predetermined conveying direction;
cleaving, during the conveying of the glass film, the glass film continuously along a preset cleaving line extending in the predetermined conveying direction by a thermal stress generated through localized heating performed along the preset cleaving line and through cooling of a region heated by the localized heating;
dividing of the cleaved glass film in a width direction of the glass film into adjacent divided glass films, each of the adjacent divided glass films having longitudinally-extending inner side edges facing inwardly toward each other and longitudinally-extending outer side edges facing outwardly away from each other; and
bending at least one of the adjacent divided glass films to form, after the dividing, a widthwise space between the adjacent divided glass films while continuously conveying all of the adjacent divided glass films in the predetermined conveying direction, such that the longitudinally-extending outer side edge and the longitudinally-extending inner side edge of the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films move toward each other, and such that the at least one of the adjacent divided glass film is curved in a cross section orthogonal to the predetermined conveying direction,
wherein the bending is carried out by supporting widthwise ends of the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films by a roller conveyor comprising a plurality of conveying rollers, each of the plurality of conveying rollers comprising two rollers provided coaxially on a rotary shaft, the two rollers having identical outer diameters, and the two rollers being separated from each other in a longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft so as to support the widthwise ends of the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films such that the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films is curved through distortion by its own weight to maintain a space between an outer circumferential surface of a widthwise central region of the rotary shaft and a widthwise central region of the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films,
forming the widthwise space to become bigger, in a widthwise direction, as the adjacent divided glass films move forwardly in the predetermined conveying direction until the widthwise space becomes 0.02 mm or more; and
diverting the adjacent divided glass films, after the forming of the 0.02 mm or more widthwise space, while continuing the conveying in the predetermined conveying direction, such that a first of the adjacent divided glass films is offset forward of a second of the adjacent divided glass films;
wherein the diverting is carried out at a first location, along the predetermined conveying direction, forward of a second location at which the forming of the widthwise space is carried out along the predetermined conveying direction;
wherein the forming of the widthwise space is carried out at the second location, along the predetermined conveying direction, forward of a third location at which the cleaving is carried out; and
wherein, after the diverting of the adjacent divided glass films is started, the supporting the widthwise ends of the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films by the roller conveyor is finished to cancel the curved state of the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films whereby the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films returns to a flat state.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the bending is carried out by supporting only the widthwise ends of the at least one of the adjacent divided glass films by the roller conveyor.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising subjecting the at least one of the divided glass films obtained by the cleaving to thermal deformation.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the diverting of the adjacent divided glass films is started at a position separated by a distance 50 times or more as large as a thickness dimension of the glass film from a position at which the cleaving is started.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the diverting of the adjacent divided glass films is started at a position separated by a distance 50 times or more as large as a thickness dimension of the glass film from a position at which the cleaving is started.

6. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the diverting of the adjacent divided glass films is started at a position separated by a distance 50 times or more as large as a thickness dimension of the glass film from a position at which the cleaving is started.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the forming the widthwise space is carried out by curving two of the adjacent divided glass films which are immediately next to each other along the width direction such that the two adjacent divided glass films are curved in the cross section orthogonal to the predetermined conveying direction.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: after the at least one of the adjacent of the adjacent divided glass films returns to a flat state, rolling at least one of the adjacent divided glass films into a roll.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: after the at least one of the adjacent of the adjacent divided glass films returns to a flat state, rolling each of the adjacent divided glass films into a roll.

Assignees

• Matsumoto Yasuhiro
• Mori Koichi
• Naruse Hiroshi
• Eta Michiharu
• Mori Hiroki
• Nippon Electric Glass Co

Inventors

• Matsumoto Yasuhiro
• Mori Koichi
• Naruse Hiroshi
• Eta Michiharu
• Mori Hiroki

Classifications

• C03B33/091

  using at least one focussed radiation beam, e.g. laser beam (C03B33/0955 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02P40/57

  Improving the yield, e-g- reduction of reject rates · CPC title

• B28D1/221 Primary

  by thermic methods · CPC title

• C03B35/189

  Disc rollers · CPC title

• Y10T225/12

  With preliminary weakening · CPC title